Satheesan leading Cong.-RSS tie-up: Govindan

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan has alleged that the Congress is maintaining a warm relationship with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and that Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan is leading the tie-up. He was responding to the Congress’ allegation that the CPI(M) and the BJP were engaged in a deal in the State.

Mr. Govindan pointed out that on both occasions when the BJP won in the State — in Nemom Assembly constituency and Thrissur Lok Sabha seat — the Congress’ vote share had fallen. “From these results, people can understand who helped the BJP win in Thrissur and Nemom,” he said.

CPI(M) State secretariat member M. Swaraj, meanwhile, said here that Mr. Satheesan was giving misleading answers as to why he attended the birth centenary celebrations of RSS ideologue M.S. Golwalker in Paravur ahead of the Assembly polls in 2006. “Mr. Satheesan should apologise to secular Kerala for attending the birth centenary of one of the biggest communalists the country has ever seen. He should also make it clear if he would attend RSS programmes if invited again,” he said.